Run is hilly through a neighborhood. Two loops for the half. The bike course has some hills as well. It’s a good race.

Is this the Monticello which was Thomas Jefferson's home, at/near Charlottesville, VA???

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"Anyone can be who they want to be IF they have the HUNGER and the DRIVE."

Correct. Early May race. Has Olympic and I believe sprint options as well.

Ah, great, thanks. We went to Monticello when I was a kid but it would be cool tom go again, and this race would be a good excuse.

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"Anyone can be who they want to be IF they have the HUNGER and the DRIVE."

I have done this race 3 times. The lake swim is great. It is a single loop without too much crowding. Water temperature is in the 60's. The bike is two loops. One dangerous intersection which is monitored by the police and is not a problem. The roads are rural and are well maintained. There is minimal traffic. In different years the level of support on the bike has not been consistent and so it would be important to bear this in mind when making a plan for nutrition. As I recall, one of the stops was not well staffed while the other was. There were no major climbs on the bike route and being 15 miles east of Charlottesville, it is not yet in the mountains. Hills are rolling. The run is a fair one. It is two lollipop loops in a neighborhood alongside Lake Monticello. I think this race is a good one at a good price. There are hotels in Charlottesville, but they often book up during weekends in May depending on what events UVA is hosting.

I've been thinking about this one as well and from the input here, sounds like a nice race. Also considering the Kinetic half which is kind of the same area and about a week or so later. Anyone done both? How do they compare? Thanks!

I've done both although haven't been at Kinetic in a few years. Both are great races. Monticelloman is a bit more of a challenging course but just barely. Both have lake swims and rolling bike/runs but Monticelloman has more/bigger hills, no one of which is notable but in aggregate it can make for a tough day.

If you're coming form out of town, Monticelloman is probably better logistically. It's 20 minutes or so outside of Charlottesville where there are plenty of lodging/dining/entertainment options. There really nothing around Lake Anna where Kinetic is. On the other hand, a lot of the fast guys from Central/Northern VA and DC tend to show up at Kinetic so the competition is deeper if that's important to you at all.

Cool - thanks for the comparison! Both sound like great races so maybe one this year, the other next year!

Thanks for the details, sounds like a "destination race" to me, if you like history. :)

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"Anyone can be who they want to be IF they have the HUNGER and the DRIVE."